SethG

Tuesday night: Killer tomato salad. "Galician" cod filets. Baked atop potato slices that had been sauteed with onion, garlic and paprika. And asparagus, with... lemon butter sauce.

That sounds great, MatthewB! Also, having looked at the book again this afternoon, I believe I was mistaken. After you get through the basics (the first 70 or so techniques), most of the techniques that follow lead to actual dishes you can serve up and eat. And some of the techniques that don't lead to dishes would be fun to combine into an evening of self-betterment. For instance, technique #52 (carving watermelon) and #70 (iced vodka bottle)-- that sounds like a pretty good time.

My copy of Pepin's Complete Techniques arrived over the weekend, and having flipped through it, I'm not sure what to do with it. The actual recipes are rather scarce (I know, "it's the techniques, not the recipes!"), and while I'm prepared to waste a certain number of carrots and onions in order to practice knife technique, I really don't want to waste cuts of meat in order to practice larding, for example. I don't want to stick it on the shelf for reference and just pull it out when some recipe calls upon me to do something unfamiliar, either. I had hoped to work through it in some way, to try to do a lesson every week or two, skipping things I may feel I know or don't need to know, but trying to be fairly rigorous about covering the book. I see now that this would require me to envision a dish that calls for larded meat, for example, before I do that lesson. And I'm not much of a planner. I'm a last-minute-shopping kind of guy. MatthewB, have you done much more with Pepin than the souffle you mentioned? Have you any thoughts on where you're going to go with Pepin?

I finally made it back to Sahadi's today, and I asked the proprietor, Charley, about his preserved lemons. He hasn't had any in stock for a few months, and he doesn't know how they're made. "I wish I could tell you" was his answer to my question about the color. He was able to tell me that he imports them from a supplier in Egypt, and he buys them by the barrel. His supplier seems to have abandoned him, however. Charley said the supplier recently told him he'd be able to get him the lemons in jars, but that this hasn't come through either. I also want to ask another preserved lemon question. I put up a new jar of the lemons last weekend, this time adding a bay leaf, a cinnamon stick and a few cloves. It's been sitting on my counter, and it looks great. But I'm afraid I'm going to kill my family if I use the lemons, for a few different reasons. 1. The lemon at the top of the jar kept popping up above the juice. For several days, I kept opening the jar, pushing the lemon down, and adding more salt and lemon juice to the jar. Then I'd shake the jar the next day and up would pop this lemon again! I don't think it's popped up in a couple days now, but I've probably opened the jar at least four or five times since I filled it. I don't think the lemon ever spent a lot of time above the juice; it's the repeated opening and closing of the jar I'm really concerned about. 2. I sterilized the jar by running it through the dishwasher. At the time, I thought this was enough, since the environment inside the jar is so acidic and salty. I didn't think there was much risk of botulism in such an environment. But now I'm worried I should have sterilized better, as if I were making preserves. (I sterilized in the same fashion last time, by the way. But I chickened out after several days with that jar and stuck it in the fridge for the better part of the last year. This time, I want to leave it on the counter as instructed.) Can anyone put my mind at ease? Or should I pitch the jar and start over? And anyone who knows can answer, by the way. I'm sure Paula didn't join eGullet to give me private lessons!

I'd love to see this recipe on my Thanksgiving Sides & Pies thread.

This thread is moving so fast, I don't want anyone to miss the fact that a couple pages ago Dennis said I write some of the smarter posts! Given the company I'm in, I take that as high praise. I love the Wine Clip! Edited to add: And as your lawyer, Dennis, I agree wholeheartedly with your exit strategy.

No one wants to get sued. But James Peterson, for one, recommends lower temperatures, his goal being just to clear the 140 degree barrier.

And Mr. Clip, if I may presume to throw a little advice your way: I'm no businessman, but one thing I've learned in my business (lawyerin') is that you STOP ARGUING the instant your victory is in hand. If you keep at it, you just might argue your victory away. This thread began with a true expert in the wine field saying your clip works, it ain't a placebo, and that he and his expert friends were not just impressed, but rather were amazed! That was your cue to thank everyone for their honesty and integrity and say what a good time it's all been. You drink from the keg of victory, Mr. Clip! Ignore the sniping. Caveats, schmaveats. You WON. Do not seek pity. Winners don't need pity. Do not resort to ad hominem attacks. You don't need them; you're so much bigger than that. Move on. Get on with forming a cabinet. Announce your next steps, now that eGullet has been conquered. Dismiss all dissenters with a magnanimous call for healing. Just my two cents. (And now, do I get a wine clip?)

Mark, I think Shaw's being a bit too picky about your tests, but you really ought to stage another, more scientific gathering..... and invite me! I can be a non-expert spoiler for your group. Comic relief. Sort of a Ringo to your John and Pauls. And maybe I can snag a clip on my way out. But with my luck, it'll be the placebo clip.

This Molly's report has me more depressed than the Pig Pickin' thread, even though the burgers were disappointing. I want to join you, and I want to write that I'll make the next one, but who am I kidding? I'm not going to make it. It's a stage of life thing... my newborn, who will arrive within the next couple weeks, will give me much more than any burger. But I'll be very jealous with each new report just the same! Maybe I'll cook burgers every couple Saturdays, just to be with you in spirit.

I've been doing a little more turkey reading, and I've read that although the U.S. government says you want to cook turkeys and chickens to 170 degrees, the actual temperature at which salmonella is killed is...... 140 degrees. So why does Steingarten go for such high temperatures in his Thompson's Turkey chapter? If I'd stopped when the leg and the stuffing were over 140, I'd have taken my turkey out earlier-- maybe an hour earlier. And if I'd done that, I might have said "gravy? Who needs gravy?" Can anyone who happens to mistakenly click on Special Occasions help me out here? Steingarten is no slave to federal standards. He'd be the first to tell you that young unpasteurized cheese should not be illegal. What gives? Why does he recommend that you get the white meat to 170 degrees, the stuffing to 160 degrees and the dark meat to 180 degrees?

Saturday dinner: Fed my visiting mom and the in-laws. It went without incident. We had a salad (romaine with walnuts, cabrales and vinagrette); gamelli pasta with eggplant, tomatoes and mozzarella; and chicken fricassee with rosemary, garlic and white wine.

I don't know any of you well, but it looks like you had a fab time. Wish I could have been there.

i' m glad you're still having fun with this. it will be, i think, one of the best egullet threads ever! I think NeroW and I have dibs on two of the clips, if they come back. And this thread might top Cabrales cooking a chicken, but I don't think it approaches the heights that were reached by the fish puns. Suzanne, I don't think you've been fair to Mr. Clip. Although his product may be intended to work mostly as the wine passes through the neck of the bottle, it is not unreasonable to suggest that attaching the clip could affect the bottle enough that it will be hard to detect the clip's influence after it is removed. While I think some of Mr. Clip's posts may have been a bit more confrontational than might seem wise for a businessman, the more he talks the more he wins me over. You've got spunk, Mr. Clip! Keep it comin'. Straight talk from a true believer! (Now can I have a wine clip?)

Here's a new thread, in Pastry & Baking, on sweet potato pie.

Er, I don't know who Peter North is. Never mind, I give up. You're right. Love, Seth Sorry I ever said anything, inc.

The November Food & Wine is pretty depressing, IMHO. I saw very little I was tempted to try out. But last night I made the sauteed leeks with chestnuts dish, and I found it to be fussy, more labor-intensive than I wanted it to be, and not all that great at the end of it all. Once you've bothered to cut leeks into julienne (julienne!), browned the chestnuts, and sauteed the leeks with wine and stock (I gotta use my eGCI stock for this?), it shoulda been kind of special, but it just didn't set off any fireworks, I'm afraid. But ruthcooks' creamed spinach, that was tha bomb. Rich, very rich. Creamy, delish, and with that occasional bacon crunch. I was enjoying it very much, and without even letting it rest a day, when my wife pointed out that I can't be sneaking bacon into everything. My sister's a vegetarian, and I'll have to accomodate her when Thanksgiving actually comes. So maybe I'll make the creamed spinach, but leave out the bacon.

You're killing me! That's my favorite Sopranos line, and it's from the pilot, isn't it? It's been a long four seasons. I only wish I actually agreed with your point about Rick Bayless.

Mom's visiting this weekend, and she likes her food rather bland. So tonight (Friday) I broiled some salmon steaks, and made up a creamy, horseradishy sauce from some issue of Bon Appetit a ways back. Mom didn't have any of the sauce, but that's okay. And I steamed broccoli and made some wild rice. Tomorrow the in-laws are coming for dinner too, and I was going to make racks of lamb from Paula Wolfort's article in the October Food & Wine, but mom told me tonight that she hates lamb. What's a boy to do? I'll come up with something else.

Welcome Jilly! Anyone who makes reference in less than half an hour to Dr. Dre, the Who and Frank has surely figured something out. But don't you think there's an irony to the fact that you are adding to the length of this thread by repeatedly telling folks that the thread is pointless? Edited, hopefully, before anyone quotes me.

Am I the only one who's surprised that there's a Costco in Yokahama? For Thursday night's dinner, I was craving Marcella Hazan's smothered onion sauce, so I made that, to go over spaghetti. And I'm still working on my Thanksgiving menu, so I made ruthcooks' creamed spinach with bacon and sauteed leeks with chestnuts from the November Food & Wine. Very oniony meal. But what's wrong with that?

$79???? Now I'm with NeroW. I want a wine clip!

From another thread: ruthcooks posted her recipe for creamed spinach with bacon to the eGullet recipe archive today. Edited to add: Thanks Ruth!

Been living off my mock Thanksgiving leftovers since Saturday. Tonight: Buttermilk-soaked fried chicken and steamed broccoli

I just picked up a copy of the November Food & Wine, which naturally contains lots of Thanksgiving ideas. I'll post here if I try out any of the sides and find them worthy.